Oil refineries typically process crude oil from the ground which contains unusable organic sulfur, the latter of which must be separated from the crude oil in order to allow the oil to become a useful product. Typically, the crude oil is treated with hydrogen and a catalyst under a high temperature which decomposes the organic sulfur compounds in the crude oil and releases the sulfur in the form of hydrogen sulfide(H2S) gas. The problem is what do the refineries do with the H2S gas, which is a noxious poisonous gas that cannot be released into the atmosphere.
Recent environmental regulations generally require oil and gas refineries to develop waste minimization technologies for the treatment of sulfur-containing compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide(H2S) within their facilities. Current technology typically requires a solvent absorption and stripping process to separate the acid gases, a Claus-type reactor to perform a partial oxidation of the sulfide to make elemental sulfur and water and a tertiary gas treatment, the latter of which having specifics that can vary greatly but must effect at least another hundred-fold reduction in H2S concentration.
Currently refineries must now go out and buy or make hydrogen to perform hydrodesulfurization. Afterwards, the resultant H2S must then be decomposed at the plant.
As the world supply of petroleum decreases, the average sulfur content of crude oil has begun to rise. In recent years the average oil refinery has gone from being a net producer to a net consumer of H2. The oil producers would thus be interested in any process that increases the amount of H2 available in-house.